UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has reportedly decided to abandon the plan to change the graduate visa programme for foreign students. As part of his efforts to curb migration, Sunak and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman had announced that the government would cut down the time students get to stay in the UK after completing their graduation.
However, after strong backlash from senior MPs and members of the cabinet, Sunak has reportedly decided to withdraw this plan.
Under the UK Graduate Route Visa, international students are allowed to stay in Britain for two years after completing their higher education in order to find a job. However, as per the changes highlighted by the prime minister, this time period would have been reduced to six months.
Along with cutting the time short for students, stricter rules on agents advertising degree courses in the UK would have been introduced. However, as per the more recent reports, PM Sunak had planned on scrapping the visa route completely.
UK-based Sky News has reported that after appeals from Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and Home Secretary James Cleverly and many other, Sunak has decided to not scrap the visa programme.
His own cabinet advised against limiting the time for students and changing the scheme due to the impact it would have on British universities and the overall economy.
The UK government is expected to announce a few alterations to the graduate programme soon. However, the period of stay for foreign students reportedly will remain at two years.
An official announcement regarding the UK Graduate Visa Route is expected to be made soon. This announcement is expected to come along with the quarterly net migration figures by the Office for National Statistics.
Under the Sunak administration, several rules for international students and workers have already been changed. For instance, students in the UK for their masters or higher education are no longer allowed to bring any dependents with them to the country.
